Collection of detailed personal information of prisoners by junta creates worry about forced conscription

November 11, 2024

HURFOM: Since September, 2024, the prison authority controlled by the military junta has been collecting detailed personal information of prisoners across Burma.  Prisoners are concerned the information would be used for forced conscription.

All the prisoners were required to provide personal information to the prison authority upon entering the prison system, but now, the prison authorities are asking even more detailed questions. A former political prisoner commented that those questions could be related to the upcoming election and the forced conscription.

The prisoners already provided their information to the prison authority as soon as they reached the prison. But now they are being asked more questions and it’s more detailed than the questions in the census. As all data and information is saved onto computers, that they can use whenever and however they want,” said a former political prisoner.

The prison authority mainly asked the names of their parents, address, ID card number, marital status, educational status and health condition, according to the statement by the Political Prisoner Network Myanmar – PPNM on October 28th.

It’s worrying that their motive might be for forced conscription. They can use this information as they like,” said the former political prisoner.

The prisoners have no right to vote but the junta can manipulate their information in possible electoral fraud and also in collecting new conscripts.

Now, military training for conscripts has reached batch #7. The junta will do everything to get new soldiers to fight on the front lines,” said the source.

On October 22nd, 2024, the prison authority from the Thaton Prison collected information from more than 50 prisoners and they have prepared to send them to the military training batch #7. It is suspected that except for political prisoners who are sentenced with anti-terrorist charges, all other prisoners will be forced into military training.

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